Automatic take-up for drive-chains.



H. WERKE..

AUTMM'KU TAKEJP FUR URW?. CHAINS.

APPLICATION mtu MAR. 16mm?,

Patented hay 3, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET1.

H'S, PIERCE.

Aummm'm TAKE-UP ma DRIVE CHMNS.

APPLCATIUN HLED MAR. 16, 19H.

1,232,891. nimma July 3, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2` sprocket HAROLD S. PIERCE, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB T0 LINK-BELT COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC TAKE-UP FOR DRIVE-CHAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1917.

Application. filed March 16, 1917. Serial No. 155,311.

To U 'whom it may concern r l VBe it known that I, lfl ARoLn S. PIERCE,a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented certain Improvements in Automatic TakelUps forDrive-Chains, oi which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improve` ments in means for taking upthe slack in drive chains such as illustrated in the patents granted tome on August 1, 1916, #1,193,419, and .lune 2G, 1916, #1,188,316.

The object of my invention. is to make a more convenient constructionand one which is more reliable than that described in either of theabove mentioned patents..

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 isy a longitudinal sectional 'view through my improvedautomatic take up for drive chains illustrating my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional' view on the line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are views illustrating modilications of the take up;and

Fig. 6 is a view of a modification. of the take up shown in Fig. 3.

`Referring in and 2, 1 .is a sha-ft. 2 is a frame. On the shaft is abushing 3 adapted to bearings in the frame, and secured to a flange 4 onthis shaft is a sprocket Wheel 5, 6 is an eccentric huh mounted on theshaft and on this hub is a sprocket` WheelY 7 having teeth 8 aroundwhich the drive chain passes and also teeth 9 at one end which engagethe teeth of a chain 1,0, the chain engaging the teeth 5 and 9, as inPatent #1,193,419. At

'the end of the huh 6 is an enlargement 11 having a `'flange 12inclosing a space in which is located a llat coiled spring 13. One end14 of this spring extends through a `slot in the flange 12, While theother end of the spring is secured by a. pin 15 to a hub 16 projectingfrom a cap plate 17. Mounted between the shaft 1 and the hub 16 is asleeve 18 which has a flange 19 located between the hub 6 and the hub16, and at the end of this sleeve 18 is a plate 2O closing the end ofthe opening for the shaft.

The main drive chain passes around the Wheel 8 and the spring 13 tendsto p take up the slack and keep the chain taut.

It will be seen by this arrangement that the eccentric hub will haveatcndency to move so as to take up the slack and vet the spring the rstinstance to Figs. 1u

will yield when subjected to strains and will prevent rattling and will.not cause any undue bindingof the parts. In order to take up thesp1-ing, I provide a Series of slots 25 in the flange 412 so that theend of the spring canae located in any one of the slots, as desire In Fi3, I have illustrated the simplest foi-1n oi' the mechanism in which l"Lis a spindle lixed to a frame 2a. 6aL is the eccentric huh and 7i is asprooket'wheel. On the huh 6 is a flanged extension 11L and a coiledspring 1B is mounted between this extension and the shaft so that thetendency of the' spring is to keep the sprocket chain under tension atall times.

In Fig. 6, I have shown a. modification in which a. frame 2d has a.flange 1.11i andthe huh 6d is extended and the Inner endof a flatcoiled spring 13'i is attached to the hub While the outer end of thespring is attached to the flange.

In Fig. Il, I have illustrated a modification of the invention in whichthe shaft 1"` is in the form of a stiid' secured to the frame 2b. Theouter end of the shaft is mounted in a bearing '18 carried by the frame17". The main sprocket Wheel 8b is mounted on the huh 6l. There is aflatcoiled spring 13b secured to the huh and to the shaft, accomplishing thesame purpose as the construction illustrated in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 5, I have illustrated another type of mechanism in which the hub6c is mounted on a shaft 1. The eccentric hub has a flanged extensionlland in this extension is located a spring 13, one end of the spring beinattached to the end of the extension 11c o the eccentric and the otherend toa projection 2* of the frame 2". On the eccentric is a bushing 21on which is mounted the sprocket slot, and in the end of the bushing isanother slot Vat right angles to the slot in the cou- Ico pling head. Acoupling plate 23 is located ,between the two parts and has projectionsentering the slots vso that this coupling will i accommodate itself tothe different positions of the parts.

It will be seen that all of these constructions allow the eccentric tobe ilexibly.- mounted so as to take up the slack in th!!4 drive chain..B making the spring ilat. and

securing it to t e 4flange of the extension of .nog

webccentric and to a (projection on the shaft jaar stud, lI am enable togive the spring a 'reaterdlic'acy of action than that of the atent1,188,316, and .I can increase the ower o Athe tspri by increasing itsWidth. "The ,above descri p ed mechanism' is usually unt'ed 'within' acasing in which there is a I 'ce ain quantity of oil which is allowed tolashover the parts and, in order to lubritefthe bearing of the mainsprocket Wheel 'on thg eccentric bushing, I groove the flange #24, and,as the eccentric is fixed, the liv ipping from the fixed parts will passinto ythe ygrooves 24 and into the space he- 5 tweenthe sprocket wheelandAthe eccentric claim:

upldevice, of a sprocket wheel around which 120 n chain passes; aneccentric hub on which the sprocket wheel is mounted; a spindle carryingthe hub; and a Hat spiral spring 'counted :between the hub and thespindle 'and 'secured to the two rts and arranged to yieldingly hold thehu in position so that when slack occurs in the vdrive chain it will beautomatically taken up by thespring.

2. The combination in an automatic take iup device, of a sprocketwheelaround which allchain passes angeccentrehub on which IVefffrocket wlxeelis mounted; an element carrying the hub, one of said parts having aiangeg and a ilat coiled spring 4mounted in it the space formed byt eHange, one end of e spring being sec to one part and the '-se'f thesprinbeing secured to the art, so that e-,spring will autocally take up4.the'slack of the chain.

`hecombination in an automatic takefordrive chainsfof a sprocket Wheelund which the chain passes; an eccentric 1 o which; the sprocket wheelis v ted; a spindlecal'fl'ying the hub, the

.The combination in an automatic takehub having a anged extensionforming 'a recess; and a spiral. sprin mounted in the recess, the innerp'ortionb the spring being' attached to the spindle and the outer en ofthe spring being attached to the liange of the hub.v

4f. The combination in an automatic tak'eup for drive chains, of asprocket wheel around which the chain passes; a spindle; an eccentrichub mounted on the spindle and having a flanged extension forming arecess; and a spiral spring, the inner end of the spring bein attachedtothe spindle and the outer end o the spring being attached to the flangeof the hub, the two attachments being on the same plane so as to avoidunequal bearing of the hub on the spindle.

5. The combination of a spindle; a hub eccentrically -mounted 'thereonand having an enlargement at one end; a' sprocket wheel mounted on theeccentric hub; grooves in the enlargement of the hub communicating withthe space 'between the sprocket Wheel and the hub,` said hub being heldv.in a relatively fixed "position with respect 'to the sprocket Wheel;and a casing containing the elements and arranged to receive lubrieatingoil so that the oil splashed Ainto the parts will flow through thegrooves and the bearing of the Sprocket wheel.

6. The combination of a spindlegau--ecce tric hub mounted on-the indle,said hub having a anged extension orming a recess;

a coiled spring mounted in the extension,

the inner end of the spring being attached to a fixture, the flange ofthe hub having a series of recesses into any one of which the outer endof the spring can be secured so as to allow adjustment of the spring;and Ia sprocket wheel mounted on the eccentric portion of the hub.

In Witness whereof I affix my signature.

HAROLD S. PIERCE;

